The diocese of Bhadravathi was erected, as per the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church and with the Assent of the Holy See, through the decree (Prot. No. 673/2007) of the Major Archbishop Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil on 21 August 2007 bifurcating the diocese of Mananthavady and assigning the civil district of Shimoga in Karnataka State as the territory of the new diocese and Mar Joseph Arumachadath, mcbs was appointed as its first bishop. After having obtained the consent of the Synod and the Assent of the Holy See, the same Major Archbishop has further decreed on 18 January 2010 (Prot. No. 63/2010) the transfer of the civil district of Chickmagalur belonging to the diocese of Mananthavady, to the diocese of Bhadravathi and thus extending the territory of the diocese of Bhadravathi to include also the civil district of Chickmagalur in Karnataka state. The territory of the diocese of Bhadravathi thus includes two civil districts of Karnataka State viz., Shimoga and Chikmagalur.